The ransomware attack took over computers with digital evidence on six suspected drug dealers.
Catching one drug dealer is a daunting task for law enforcement let alone six, and it is indeed ironic when the police have to free six suspected drug dealers because of losing the evidence to a ransomware attack.
Reportedly, critically important evidence against six suspected drug dealers detained by the police is safely stored in Florida’s Stuart Police Department computers, the evidence can send the suspects behind bars for years, however, it cannot be accessed as those computers are infected with ransomware.
The ransomware attack occurred in April 2019 and the system containing the evidence got locked forcing the State Attorney’s Office to drop all the 11 narcotics cases against the six suspects.
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According to the investigators, the computers were hit by a virus known as Ryuk, which infected the system through a spearfishing link. The infection stayed undetected for almost two months, and only learned about it after the hackers sent a ransom note demanding 300,000 in Bitcoin. The department refused to pay the ransom and is still trying to recover from the hack attack.
As per the Stuart Police Department’s Det. Sgt. Mike Gerwan, due to the ransomware attack the police have lost nearly “one and half years of digital evidence,” including video footage and photos, police evidence ransomware attack suspects
